I’m living it.
The finance nerd who sits behind me just got up, walked over to the printer, looked at the printer’s display, and exclaimed (quite seriously), “Service error?! What’s ‘service error’?!”
Understand, he was not joking.
SEEYa (in hell)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Poker Persona
“You’re really lucky.” – Young Chumash regular
“You obviously haven’t played with me much.” – Me
That is a pretty common misconception people have about my poker game. I think its good for a couple of reasons. For one, the players who make statements like that reveal that they aren’t really paying attention. If they did, they would note that I tend to play very few hands while seated for a very long session. And anyone who says that is thinking about his luck, too.
I think those are two factors that distinguish winning players from losing players. It should go without saying that attention to people and action at the table is required to be able to make correct decisions and be a consistent winning poker player. But most people don’t seem to put it into practice. So, where I am involved, those players see me winning an occasional large pot and label me lucky, all the while ignoring the many small losses I have incurred along the way. As far as they’re concerned, I win every hand I play.
That is just not the case. Believe me, I wish it was. However many of poker players not only place a luck factor on others’ games, but they attribute their own (bad) results to that fickle lady. Luck is exactly why I have never been into playing slots. Why in the world would anyone put a significant amount of money at risk when luck is the only thing determining whether they win or lose? I wouldn’t. But that’s just me…obviously. Millions of people vacation in Vegas and throw down random amounts of green on games they don’t know how to play properly. So, even with games that can be played using methods to maximize one’s odds of winning, people ignore the possibilities (and probabilities) and hope for divine intervention.
The same thing happens at the poker table. Except poker is a game in which there are many different ways to lose money. When playing slot machines, most people either play the min or max bet consistently. So, barring a winning pull, they will lose their money at the same rate every time. Other games, like blackjack, craps, or roulette, have high enough limits that someone could lay their entire bankroll on one turn. But the average Joe places the same small bet until it is all gone because they don’t intend to risk it all.
When playing poker, Joe Average buys in intending to play a few hands and, hopefully, get lucky. Whether loose or tight, he does have a range of starting hands that he is willing to limp with or call an opening raise. One of these pretty hands will appear. When it does, whether he will win or lose is all that’s on his mind. Its only after the hand is over that he will realize how much he won or lost. So he could misplay a big hand and only win a small amount or lose a big amount. Or the opposite could occur as he misplays a bad hand and manages to win a large pot or lose a small one. There are other ways for it to go down but the key is that, in Joe’s mind, luck will only have come into play in the hands he lost.
“How did you win those other hands, Joe? Was it luck or skill? Or a combination of both? Think about it, Joe.”
Well, I do think about that. I lost that hand. Could I have played it differently and won? Or could I have lost less? And that hand that I won before, could I have played that better? Could I have extracted more chips from my opponent? He didn’t show down…Did he have me until the river and I got lucky?
So the other night at Commerce, when the friendly guy on my left suggested, after I had raised with AK and then flopped an Ace,
“You raise with that, you hit. I raise with that, nothing comes,”
my response didn’t suggest that I was not lucky…
“That’s jealously talkin’.”
I guess what I’m trying to say is, good luck at the tables.
SEEYa
“You obviously haven’t played with me much.” – Me
That is a pretty common misconception people have about my poker game. I think its good for a couple of reasons. For one, the players who make statements like that reveal that they aren’t really paying attention. If they did, they would note that I tend to play very few hands while seated for a very long session. And anyone who says that is thinking about his luck, too.
I think those are two factors that distinguish winning players from losing players. It should go without saying that attention to people and action at the table is required to be able to make correct decisions and be a consistent winning poker player. But most people don’t seem to put it into practice. So, where I am involved, those players see me winning an occasional large pot and label me lucky, all the while ignoring the many small losses I have incurred along the way. As far as they’re concerned, I win every hand I play.
That is just not the case. Believe me, I wish it was. However many of poker players not only place a luck factor on others’ games, but they attribute their own (bad) results to that fickle lady. Luck is exactly why I have never been into playing slots. Why in the world would anyone put a significant amount of money at risk when luck is the only thing determining whether they win or lose? I wouldn’t. But that’s just me…obviously. Millions of people vacation in Vegas and throw down random amounts of green on games they don’t know how to play properly. So, even with games that can be played using methods to maximize one’s odds of winning, people ignore the possibilities (and probabilities) and hope for divine intervention.
The same thing happens at the poker table. Except poker is a game in which there are many different ways to lose money. When playing slot machines, most people either play the min or max bet consistently. So, barring a winning pull, they will lose their money at the same rate every time. Other games, like blackjack, craps, or roulette, have high enough limits that someone could lay their entire bankroll on one turn. But the average Joe places the same small bet until it is all gone because they don’t intend to risk it all.
When playing poker, Joe Average buys in intending to play a few hands and, hopefully, get lucky. Whether loose or tight, he does have a range of starting hands that he is willing to limp with or call an opening raise. One of these pretty hands will appear. When it does, whether he will win or lose is all that’s on his mind. Its only after the hand is over that he will realize how much he won or lost. So he could misplay a big hand and only win a small amount or lose a big amount. Or the opposite could occur as he misplays a bad hand and manages to win a large pot or lose a small one. There are other ways for it to go down but the key is that, in Joe’s mind, luck will only have come into play in the hands he lost.
“How did you win those other hands, Joe? Was it luck or skill? Or a combination of both? Think about it, Joe.”
Well, I do think about that. I lost that hand. Could I have played it differently and won? Or could I have lost less? And that hand that I won before, could I have played that better? Could I have extracted more chips from my opponent? He didn’t show down…Did he have me until the river and I got lucky?
So the other night at Commerce, when the friendly guy on my left suggested, after I had raised with AK and then flopped an Ace,
“You raise with that, you hit. I raise with that, nothing comes,”
my response didn’t suggest that I was not lucky…
“That’s jealously talkin’.”
I guess what I’m trying to say is, good luck at the tables.
SEEYa
Monday, March 06, 2006
Pandora - Letting Me Out of this Box
A few days ago, I found Pandora. Network security at my office doesn’t allow streaming so I can’t listen to net radio running through Real or Windows Media. But they don’t block Flash-enabled streaming. So I did a google search for “Flash Radio” and found Pandora among a few others.
I’m really diggin’ it. You create your own music stations by entering an artist name or song title. From that simple step, Pandora plays music that is similar to, or inspired by, your selection. I started with Megadeth and got a genuine heavy metal mix. No hair metal included there. Then I created a station for Skid Row, another of my favorites. But I wasn’t so happy with the result which included more modern so-called rock groups instead of bands from Skid’s era.
So, since I was now looking for some hair metal, I tried Lynch Mob. Unfortunately, they don’t have it in their db. But they do have Dokken. Close enough, I went with them and ended up with just what I was hoping for…Bands like Whitesnake, Ozzy, Winger, Ratt, Autograph, and Skid Row.
Today, I created a couple more stations. This morning was Harry Connick Jr. I found myself falling asleep. But that’s my own fault for choosing such a soothing genre. This afternoon, I created a Stevie Wonder station. Perfect! So far its played Stevie, Tower of Power, Freddie Jackson, and Maze & Frankie Beverly. Now I’m feeling a bit more energized.
This is cool, listening to music in the office without having my own CD collection in tow or draining the battery on my iPod. The only problem…Now I really need noise-canceling headphones to drown out all these people around me. Where the hell did they come from anyway? Oh, yeah. They’re pretending to work here, too.
SEEYa
I’m really diggin’ it. You create your own music stations by entering an artist name or song title. From that simple step, Pandora plays music that is similar to, or inspired by, your selection. I started with Megadeth and got a genuine heavy metal mix. No hair metal included there. Then I created a station for Skid Row, another of my favorites. But I wasn’t so happy with the result which included more modern so-called rock groups instead of bands from Skid’s era.
So, since I was now looking for some hair metal, I tried Lynch Mob. Unfortunately, they don’t have it in their db. But they do have Dokken. Close enough, I went with them and ended up with just what I was hoping for…Bands like Whitesnake, Ozzy, Winger, Ratt, Autograph, and Skid Row.
Today, I created a couple more stations. This morning was Harry Connick Jr. I found myself falling asleep. But that’s my own fault for choosing such a soothing genre. This afternoon, I created a Stevie Wonder station. Perfect! So far its played Stevie, Tower of Power, Freddie Jackson, and Maze & Frankie Beverly. Now I’m feeling a bit more energized.
This is cool, listening to music in the office without having my own CD collection in tow or draining the battery on my iPod. The only problem…Now I really need noise-canceling headphones to drown out all these people around me. Where the hell did they come from anyway? Oh, yeah. They’re pretending to work here, too.
SEEYa
Friday, March 03, 2006
Movies - Tell me watcha think
I got this idea from the Adam Carolla Show. I’m not the kind of person to call in to radio shows so I’ll share my opinions with you here. And I’d like to here what you think.
Name a movie you think is underrated.
And…
Name a movie you think is overrated.
I find it hard to narrow each of these down to just one, but I’ll force myself, starting with two comedies.
One underrated (or at least it has been limited to an underground following) movie is Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If you like Old School or 40 Year Old Virgin, you’ll like this. Its silly and smart at the same time. But mostly, its just silly. You might argue that it is well liked. But it is the least successful one from these guys.
The mere mention of the highly overrated Meet the Parents just sets me off. First of all, it has to be the worst effort from Robert De Niro. Oh, wait. Its not quite as bad as his role in Analyze This. (I don’t even want to link to that one.) But worse than that, the entire movie is based on a stupid name. I can’t believe how many of my friends actually think the name “Focker” is funny. They could have named him “Asface” and pretended it was Italian…still not funny.
I know I’m pretty much alone in my disdain for Mr. Focker. But I’ll try to back this up with a couple of examples of names made funny by context.
1) Keeping Up Appearances: This was a British TV show that still airs on BBC America or KCET from time to time. The main character is a woman named Hyacinth Bucket. She and her husband live in a modest home in a small English town but she fancies herself living a lavish and dignified lifestyle. She continually puts up a front as such, hence the title. The humor in her name, Bucket, arises as people meet her for the first time and pronounce it as it is spelled. She swiftly corrects them, reciting her preferred pronunciation, “bouquet.” It continues to be funny as it is quick and only comes up occasionally in the show.
2) High Anxiety: In this 1977 comedy which spoofs several great Hitchcock films, the main character, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (now that’s kind of funny on its own. The H stands for Harpo), runs into his old mentor, Professor Lilloman. Upon first seeing him, they excitedly react:
Professor: Richard!
Richard: Professor Little Old Man!
Professor: Lilloman. Lilloman. (mumbling; annoyed) Little old man.
Check out each of those if you can. Then let me know whether or not you agree. At the very least, you should see High Anxiety. Its brilliant.
So… Tell me what movies you think are under- or overrated.
SEEYa
Name a movie you think is underrated.
And…
Name a movie you think is overrated.
I find it hard to narrow each of these down to just one, but I’ll force myself, starting with two comedies.
One underrated (or at least it has been limited to an underground following) movie is Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If you like Old School or 40 Year Old Virgin, you’ll like this. Its silly and smart at the same time. But mostly, its just silly. You might argue that it is well liked. But it is the least successful one from these guys.
The mere mention of the highly overrated Meet the Parents just sets me off. First of all, it has to be the worst effort from Robert De Niro. Oh, wait. Its not quite as bad as his role in Analyze This. (I don’t even want to link to that one.) But worse than that, the entire movie is based on a stupid name. I can’t believe how many of my friends actually think the name “Focker” is funny. They could have named him “Asface” and pretended it was Italian…still not funny.
I know I’m pretty much alone in my disdain for Mr. Focker. But I’ll try to back this up with a couple of examples of names made funny by context.
1) Keeping Up Appearances: This was a British TV show that still airs on BBC America or KCET from time to time. The main character is a woman named Hyacinth Bucket. She and her husband live in a modest home in a small English town but she fancies herself living a lavish and dignified lifestyle. She continually puts up a front as such, hence the title. The humor in her name, Bucket, arises as people meet her for the first time and pronounce it as it is spelled. She swiftly corrects them, reciting her preferred pronunciation, “bouquet.” It continues to be funny as it is quick and only comes up occasionally in the show.
2) High Anxiety: In this 1977 comedy which spoofs several great Hitchcock films, the main character, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (now that’s kind of funny on its own. The H stands for Harpo), runs into his old mentor, Professor Lilloman. Upon first seeing him, they excitedly react:
Professor: Richard!
Richard: Professor Little Old Man!
Professor: Lilloman. Lilloman. (mumbling; annoyed) Little old man.
Check out each of those if you can. Then let me know whether or not you agree. At the very least, you should see High Anxiety. Its brilliant.
So… Tell me what movies you think are under- or overrated.
SEEYa
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Done and Done
I feel mighty productive. That’s been rare for me over the last, oh, two years or so because I have become very lazy. But I have actually taken care of some things in the last few days that just needed to be done. I could have put them off as I so often do. But I didn’t and I’m feeling good now.
(1) Got the Firebird off the street and into a repair shop. (2) Gave Kid Crash my buy-in for the Chumash tourney so he could put me in this week (He did that and mentioned it in his blog…thanks, Dude!) (3) Bought a really nice floral arrangement for my mom from 1800flowers dot com. I bought them in time so they will arrive on her birthday, today. (4) Reserved my room at Chumash for the weekend of the big tournament.
I’m really looking for to the Chumash tourney. Its not big as far as the buy-in. I’ve played in bigger tournaments. That’s for sure. But it is a big thing at that casino, only happening 3 times a year. It’s a $200 + 20 buy-in limited to 700 seats with 100 alternates. First place pays $50,000 and they pay out 100 spots. Instead of listing the entire payout structure, I’ll do the math and just tell you they seed the tournament with $10,000. And with a cap of 800 players, its not like your normal guaranteed prize fund. They have no chance of having the gap covered by extra buy-ins. I think that is pretty nice. You know what kind of field you will be up against going into it. No chance of having to best a field of 1499. No sir. There will be, at most, 799 slappy bastards in my way.
And the structure of the tournament is really good for a one day event. It starts at 9am and ends around midnight. The first level is 60 minutes and 30 minutes for each thereafter. I’ve been very patient in the early levels of this tourney in the past. But I have found after the first 4 hours of play, you need at least 4 times the starting amount (T5000) to really play right. I’ve done well in the early going of the first two of these events that I have played, accumulating around 15k in chips early on. But I was basically playing tight. And I continued to play pretty tight after building a stack. This time, I’ll be looking to play loose and really find some spots to take control. I feel really good about my game and my chances. Wish me “good poker.”
Back to my recent diligence: (5) Attacked my PC to figure out why the Ethernet card is no longer functioning. My sister recently used a crossover cable to copy all of my music to her laptop. Since then, no network connection. A quick inspection revealed the Ethernet card was not functioning properly and, in fact, was not recognized. I made several attempts to reinstall the driver to no resolve. I finally took apart the pc to reseat the card…last ditch effort. That didn’t help either. So my sister is going to pick up a new network card. It did happen on her watch, after all. I’m going to finish that up tonight. (In case you are wondering, I have been using my laptop for two weeks while the pc has been out of commission. It was easy to ignore the problem thanks to my trusty lappy.)
(6) I mounted my sister’s new TV on her bedroom wall. She got a Polaroid 32” LCD HDTV. Its one of the lower end brands in the television market but it provides a beautiful high def picture. Even non-HD channels look good. Anyway, she wanted it mounted on her wall and that kind of task usually falls squarely on my shoulders without discussion. Fortunately, she was out of town for a couple days so she could not get in the way. I had a bitch of a time trying to install the mounting bracket. I’ll spare you the gory details (I’m kinda tired of telling the story) except to tell you that I kept at it and got the job done. I finished it off when my sister came back by mounting her speakers along side the TV. Ace (my sister) is very happy with it.
I think that covers what I was able to accomplish recently. I have a few things ahead of me, too, such as re-tipping my pool cues, practicing pool, writing about pool, and hanging my bike in the garage. Sounds exciting, don’t it?
SEEYa
(1) Got the Firebird off the street and into a repair shop. (2) Gave Kid Crash my buy-in for the Chumash tourney so he could put me in this week (He did that and mentioned it in his blog…thanks, Dude!) (3) Bought a really nice floral arrangement for my mom from 1800flowers dot com. I bought them in time so they will arrive on her birthday, today. (4) Reserved my room at Chumash for the weekend of the big tournament.
I’m really looking for to the Chumash tourney. Its not big as far as the buy-in. I’ve played in bigger tournaments. That’s for sure. But it is a big thing at that casino, only happening 3 times a year. It’s a $200 + 20 buy-in limited to 700 seats with 100 alternates. First place pays $50,000 and they pay out 100 spots. Instead of listing the entire payout structure, I’ll do the math and just tell you they seed the tournament with $10,000. And with a cap of 800 players, its not like your normal guaranteed prize fund. They have no chance of having the gap covered by extra buy-ins. I think that is pretty nice. You know what kind of field you will be up against going into it. No chance of having to best a field of 1499. No sir. There will be, at most, 799 slappy bastards in my way.
And the structure of the tournament is really good for a one day event. It starts at 9am and ends around midnight. The first level is 60 minutes and 30 minutes for each thereafter. I’ve been very patient in the early levels of this tourney in the past. But I have found after the first 4 hours of play, you need at least 4 times the starting amount (T5000) to really play right. I’ve done well in the early going of the first two of these events that I have played, accumulating around 15k in chips early on. But I was basically playing tight. And I continued to play pretty tight after building a stack. This time, I’ll be looking to play loose and really find some spots to take control. I feel really good about my game and my chances. Wish me “good poker.”
Back to my recent diligence: (5) Attacked my PC to figure out why the Ethernet card is no longer functioning. My sister recently used a crossover cable to copy all of my music to her laptop. Since then, no network connection. A quick inspection revealed the Ethernet card was not functioning properly and, in fact, was not recognized. I made several attempts to reinstall the driver to no resolve. I finally took apart the pc to reseat the card…last ditch effort. That didn’t help either. So my sister is going to pick up a new network card. It did happen on her watch, after all. I’m going to finish that up tonight. (In case you are wondering, I have been using my laptop for two weeks while the pc has been out of commission. It was easy to ignore the problem thanks to my trusty lappy.)
(6) I mounted my sister’s new TV on her bedroom wall. She got a Polaroid 32” LCD HDTV. Its one of the lower end brands in the television market but it provides a beautiful high def picture. Even non-HD channels look good. Anyway, she wanted it mounted on her wall and that kind of task usually falls squarely on my shoulders without discussion. Fortunately, she was out of town for a couple days so she could not get in the way. I had a bitch of a time trying to install the mounting bracket. I’ll spare you the gory details (I’m kinda tired of telling the story) except to tell you that I kept at it and got the job done. I finished it off when my sister came back by mounting her speakers along side the TV. Ace (my sister) is very happy with it.
I think that covers what I was able to accomplish recently. I have a few things ahead of me, too, such as re-tipping my pool cues, practicing pool, writing about pool, and hanging my bike in the garage. Sounds exciting, don’t it?
SEEYa
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